AMID a tight campaign schedule, the Abia State Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) Governorship Candidate, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, in this
encounter spoke among others on his plans for Abia and how to actualise them,
if elected. He admitted that Governor Orji has set a hurdle in terms of
achievements but said he will run faster because he is younger.
His take on comments that he is a neophyte and stooge of
Governor Theodore Orji
I had my doctorate degree before my 30th birthday. I have
taught in four universities, including being the external examiner of master’s
degree students of University of Nigeria, Nsukka. It is not possible for
someone to think of me as a stooge. All this can only exist within the realms
of political propaganda. Almost every candidate in the race was once in the
PDP, so apparently they all wanted to be stooges. They started singing
different tunes when the PDP people said, “we want change but we want to change
into certainty not into darkness’ and the civil servants said, “we want someone
who can keep our jobs and pay us, not someone who will do right-sizing or
down-sizing and retrench us at the end of the day.”
There is no governor in Nigeria that is anybody’s stooge.
And if you played a role in canvassing for votes or helped a governor to be
elected, you can’t expect the governor to be your stooge. You can only bring
ideas that are beautiful on the table and if its falls into the main frame of a
focused administration.
Superior logic
Abia people know that I am the only person that is humble
enough to entertain all shades of opinion, logic and suggestions. If your logic
is superior we will go and test it. If mine is superior you go with me. I am
not coming with any airs of arrogance. I am humble enough to say that I need
the support of the people of Abia and hopeful that they will give me.
